the population of the civil parish was 870. The area of the parish is . Tarbat parish is also a Community Council area (excludes part of the parish next to Inver). History Originally Pictish, Norse speakers were settled in Tarbat in the 10th century and the names Arboll and Bindal are of Norse origin. By 12th century, Gaelic predominated and remained predominant until the 1880s or later. In 1881, 1,244 were Gaelic-speaking out of a population of 1,878, but at the last census in 2011, only 4% had some knowledge of Gaelic. The name Tarbat was first attested in 1226, when Andrew vicar of Arterbert authored a church document. The Ar- prefix is the same as Ard-, a common prefix meaning 'promontory' (Gaelic: ). Tarbat is mentioned in the early 16th century referring to a place, farm settlement and parish. The Battle of Tarbat took place in the 1480s near Portmahomack, when the clan Ross cornered a raiding party from the clan Mackay. Prior to 1628 Tarbat parish extended from Tarbat Ness to the south of Fearn parish. In that year, the parish of Fearn was established, with the former abbey as the parish church. By 1479 the Tarbat lands were divided into Wester Tarbert and Easter Tarbert. Wester Tarbat belonged to the Bishop of Ross, who later passed it to others. Easter Tarbat was held by the Earl of Ross and passed in 1507 to James Dunbar and family. In 1610 Easter Tarbat, with the adjoining area of Easter Aird, passed to George Monro of Meikle Tarrel, whose combined estate was sold in 1623 to Sir Rorie McKenzie of Coigach. Thus all these lands were united in one family and would later become part of Cromarty-shire. Sir Rorie’s son, John Mackenzie was created baronet of Tarbat in the County of Ross in 1628. When he died in 1654, at Castle Tarbat (i.e. Ballone Castle), he was succeeded by his son, Sir George Mackenzie, 2nd Baronet who was a prominent statesman and judge (including as Secretary of State from 1702 to 1704). In 1685, George Mackenzie was raised to the Peerage of Scotland as Lord MacLeod and Castlehaven and Viscount of Tarbat. In 1703 the viscount was made Earl of Cromartie, but the title Viscount Tarbat continued as the courtesy title of the earl’s eldest son. In 1698 Viscount Tarbat procured an Act of Parliament transferring the land he owned